Frank Stewart, Editor

Frank Stewart (Moderator) is professor of English at the University of Hawaii, a writer, and translator. Since 1989, he has twice yearly edited Mānoa: A Pacific Journal of International Writing, published by the University of Hawai‘i Press. He has also published six books of his own work and eight anthologies on the environment and literature of Hawai‘i, Asia and the Pacific.

A book-length interview of Dr. Yosihiko Sinoto by Hiroshi Aramata, Curve of the Hook contains over 100 illustrations — including unpublished photos from Dr. Sinoto’s private collection — plus notes and a list of references. For nearly six decades, Dr. Sinoto has conducted field research on every island group across the Pacific. His work and discoveries fundamentally changed what is known about early Polynesian migration, ancient ocean voyaging and navigation, sacred places, and the everyday life of the Pacific’s indigenous people.

The Panel

Eric Komori is a principal of T. S. Dye & Colleagues, a private archaeological consulting firm. Following his graduation from the University of Hawaiʻi, he joined the staff of the Bishop Museum Anthropology Department, working primarily on the archaeology of Hawaii and the Society Islands. At the State Historic Preservation Division, and in collaboration with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, National Park Service, and numerous other organizations, he integrated the museum’s models for archaeological research, conservation and management to develop a geographic information system (GIS) for the Hawaiʻi Statewide Inventory of Historic Places. He works to expand on this effort as a research associate at Bishop Museum.

Alexander Mawyer is associate professor of Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, editor of The Contemporary Pacific: A Journal of Island Affairs, and co-director of UHM's Biocultural Initiative of the Pacific. His active research interests are at the intersection of language and nature in Pacific homelands, space and spatial orientation, language shift and revitalization, and legacies of the nuclear experience in French Polynesia's Gambier Islands.

Hardy Spoehr

Comments

Yosi Sinoto has spent his whole life dedicated to the traditions and history of the Pacific people. I have a very deep sense of gratitude, respect, and aloha for him because he has dedicated his whole life to the protection, preservation, and dignity of Hawaiian and Pacific cultures and traditions.
—Nainoa Thompson, Navigator, Polynesian Voyaging Society

Yosihiko Sinoto is one of the pioneers of modern archaeology in Polynesia and the excavator of key sites in Hawai‘i, the Marquesas, and the Society Islands. His innovative and painstaking analysis of fishhooks, in particular, showed how these seemingly mundane objects could open windows to the past.
—Patrick Kirch, Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus in Archaeology, University of California, Berkeley

Yosi Sinoto is a pillar of archaeology in our Tahitian islands. Thanks to his discoveries, the people of Huahine have a better understanding of their heritage, and how their ancestors lived. He is not only a great scientist and adventurer, but also a loyal friend to the people. He knows the Tahitian people beyond the historical facts and finds, and connects with them heart and soul. With his work he opens our eyes to the Tahitian culture of the past, and shares our deep respect for the land and its mysteries. Māuruuru roa ia ‘oe, Taote Sinoto!
—Dorothy Levy, President, Ōpu Nui Association, Huahine, Tahiti

Curve of the Hook is a beautifully illustrated biography of Yosihiko Sinoto, one of the leading figures in Polynesian archaeology. In the book, he recounts some of his many accomplishments, such as the first systematic analysis and classification of Polynesian fishhooks and the restoration of marae in the Society Islands. Dr. Sinoto was far ahead of his time in the way that he conducted his fieldwork, which was community-based, endearing him to the indigenous people of the islands. This is, perhaps, one of his most important and lasting contributions to the field of Polynesian archaeology.
—Patrick McCoy, Senior Archaeologist, Pacific Consulting Services, Inc., Honolulu

Links

https://curveofthehook.wordpress.com/
http://manoajournal.hawaii.edu/2016